Snow blowers are employed in order to reduce the time and labor needed to clear snow from areas such as sidewalks and driveways. Walk behind snow blowers feature a snow intake that collects fallen snow and transfers same to a chute that establishes the output direction of snow from the snow blower. Gasoline powered engines are present on such devices for providing the power necessary to transfer and direct the accumulated snow in addition to providing power for propelling the walk behind snow blower. Snow blowers are designed with certain features in order to function properly in the cold weather environments in which they are employed. For example, the recoil starter grips of certain snow blowers are oversized so that a user wearing mittens or gloves is capable of easily grasping and manipulating the grip.
The gasoline engines of snow blowers employ carburetors that are supplied with ambient air. The conditions in which snow blowers operate cause cold air to be introduced into the carburetor that can result in less than optimal performance of the engine. As such, it is known to provide a heater box on the snow blower for the purpose of heating air that is supplied to the carburetor. Although effective for its intended purpose, certain challenges may be present though the employment of a heater box such as hot spots and fume build-up. Environmental conditions present during the use of a snow blower also subject the device to high amounts of moisture in the form of snow, sleet and rain. Moisture can have an adverse effect on the performance and longevity of various portions of the snow blower such as mechanical linkages and electronics. Further, the presence of a gas tank on the snow blower introduces yet further design considerations. For example, gasoline spillage during refueling of the device needs to be considered when designing the gas tank and associated elements. Also, the presence of a gas tank in the environment to which the snow blower is employed subjects the gas tank to elements such as thrown ice or snow that may cause problems to various portions of the snow blower. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.